The Games
by Zoe.Rogue
Summary: Cole was a simple boy living in District 7, the lumber district. He worked at a lumber mill with her mother, father, and brother. Being the age of 17, Cole knew he only had two more reaping before he would be safe from the death games, though he always knew the odds were never in his favor.
1. Chapter One- The Reaping

**Chapter One- The Reaping**

Dusk had fallen in District 7, the District I called home. I was working at the mill, slamming my axe down hard on a large oak, needing its precious wood for the fire to keep warm. My clothes were drenched in sweat and dirt as I wiped my forehead.

 _'One last swing should do it,'_ I thought as I brought the axe down one more time, seeing the tree tip to one side as it fell with a sickening boom. Taking in a deep breath, I rest my axe on my shoulder, rubbing the back of my neck as I looked behind me, seeing my house a little ways off. Deciding I'd chop the rest of the tree tomorrow, I called it a day, making my way back to my house.

It was a cute home, a small log cabin that was cozy to fit my family. There were only four of us. My father, who ran the mill and made a decent amount of money. My mother, who stayed and cleaned most of the time, cooking warm dinners. Of course my little brother Caleb, who caused mischief around the mill, playing around in the lumber and being the clumsy little boy he was, he would always come home with a scrape or two on his knee's or elbows from falling off the pile. Then there was me, a 17 year old teenager who helped his father around with the mill along with helping his mother around the house.

Smiling to myself, I opened the door, walking inside as I closed the wooden door softly behind me, setting down my axe by the wall and taking off my boots. Slicking back my black hair, I made my way to the table, seeing my family look up at me.

My mother had a stern look in her eyes, her arms folded and her foot tapping the ground impatiently. I stood there awkwardly before then looking at my father, who was also glaring at me. I heard a snicker come from my little brother, seeing him look up at me with a grin on his lips. He knew I was in trouble, and he loved it when I got yelled at, it was one of his favorite things in the world.

"Cole," my mother muttered bitterly. Then it hit me. I was late for dinner. The food was untouched and looked amazing, making my stomach rumble as I licked my lips. "We've been waiting-"

"We've been sitting here foreevveerr!" Caleb whined, interrupting my mother, earning him a harsh scowl as well. I chuckled as I walked over to him, putting the palm of my hand on his head and ruffling up his sandy blonde hair.

Making my way to my seat, I glanced at him. "Forever? Dang, I thought I was only gone for a few hours," I teased, making him giggle with a silly smile. Giving my mother a small kiss on the cheek, I sat down. "Sorry mom, that tree took longer than I thought," I admitted.

My father grunted as he rolled his eyes. "Where did you put the lumber?" He asked in a dull tone, making me laugh nervously.

"Well, you see, since I was already late I thought I could just chop it up tomorrow," I told him softly, knowing how my father was. My father was the strict type, and I couldn't lie that he hadn't laid a hand on me before, though I would never let him touch Caleb, he tried once, but I blocked it thankfully. My mother on the other hand was really the only person who kept the family together, her sweet attitude and warm tone of voice was always welcoming and calmed my brother and I at the worst of times.

A fist slammed onto the table, making Caleb jump in fright as my father clenched his jaw in anger. "I told you to get the lumber, and now we're going to be cold for the night!" He shouted, making my mother wince at his tone.

Silence filled the air like a thick cloud that lingered. "James, please," my mother murmured in a soft tone, reached her hand as her finger tips grazed his. "Let's just enjoy the dinner," she told him, calming him down as he moved his hand away from hers, crossing his arms again. My mother gave me an apologetic look, but I just nodded at her, telling her it was alright.

Dinner was silent after that, we ate our food and headed off to our rooms. Since the small amount of space, Caleb and I shared a room together. The room was nice, two nightstands, two dressers, and a bunkbed for the both of us, Caleb always got top bunk, though I never complained.

As I laid down, I heard a soft sobbing, making me sit up as my eyebrows knelt. "Caleb?" I asked. There was a sniffle and a small sob.

"I-I'm fine," he mumbled, I didn't buy it. Making my way to the top bunk, I saw him gripping his pillow, his eyes red and blood shot and his hair a bit messy. It came to me that the reaping was tomorrow, and Caleb was 12, eligible to be picked for the 66 Annual Hunger Games.

Last year in the 65 Annual Hunger Games, a fourteen year old from District 4 won, his name was Finnick Odair. I wasn't surprised when he did, the boy was powerful and a career, giving him the upper hand by far.

I pushed my thoughts aside as I sat down at the foot of his bunk, giving him the best forced smile I could muster. "You're not going to be picked," I said in a promising tone. "Your name is only in there, what, two times?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Two," he sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "But I'm not worried about me," he murmured. "Moma say's she's worried about you, she say's that your name is in there seventeen times," Caleb croaked. I silently cursed under my breath, it wasn't false that Caleb was a eavesdropper.

Trying to comfort him, I ruffled his hair some more. "Hey, I am big guy, right?" I said jokingly, showing off my muscles and making my little brother giggle. "Besides, I know boys my age who have their names in there about twenty times, plus, I only have two year of reapings left, then I'm home free," I said with a chuckle, making him smile. I then poked his stomach, making him squeal with laughter. "And you, my good brother, have nothing to worry about as well," I assured him. A warm smile was on my lips as I pulled him into a hug, his arms wrapped around me making me smile. "Get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning," I whispered, pulling away from the hug and making my way back to my bed.

As I laid down, I began to think. What if I was picked? What would my family do? How would Caleb react? Running my fingers through my hair, I couldn't think about these things, not now. I had to stay strong for Caleb, I knew he was more frightening than I was, and I had to comfort him through this.

Slowly, I closed my eyes, my dreams taking a hold of me.

I awoke to the sound of tweeting birds outside my window, making me sit up and rub my eyes. Reaping day.

Getting to my feet, I made my way to our small bathroom, taking a look at myself. My black hair was tussled from my sleep, my green eyes were dull from just waking up. I slicked back my hair and looked over my shoulder, hearing a yawn from Caleb as he sat up from his bed.

"Good morning sunshine," I joked, leaning against the doorframe. Caleb looked at me and stuck out his tongue in a joking manner before he jumped off from the top bunk, landing on his feet as he made his way to his dresser.

As I was putting my pants on, I heard a know on the door. "One minute!" I called back as I buttoned up my white shirt, moving towards the bedroom door as I opened it, seeing my mother with a small smile on her lips. She looked like she hadn't slept, her blonde hair was jumbled and her green eyes were puffy and red.

Before she could speak, I pulled her into a tight embrace. She wept into my shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me. I was used to comforting my mother and brother, they were both very sensitive, and i had to admit, so was I at times.

"Shhh... Shh.." I hushed her. It was kinda funny, she used to do this to me when I was little, hold me when I cried and calmed me down. I began to stroke my mothers blonde hair to sooth her as she slowly pulled away from me, wiping tears that had slid down her rosy red cheeks.

"Good luck," she whispered, then looking at Caleb as she walked towards him, giving him a tight squeezed hug. "I love you both, my handsome boys," she said softly with a forced smile, making a clump in my throat.

I joined in the hug, making them both laugh lightly. "I love you too mom," I said wholeheartedly.

Within an hour, Caleb and I were out the door, heading towards the stage where they picked the two teen's who would fight to the death in a bloodbath. Peacekeepers surrounded the place, guns and black bats in their hands as if daring someone to attack or something of the sort. District 7 knew better not to do that, though I could recall my first year of the reaping that someone smacked a Peacekeeper in the helmet, that was the last I had ever seen of them.

We walked up to a table, a woman was looking down at flies with a needle in her hand. "Next," she grumbled. Caleb walked up to her with a small smile, though she didn't return it. "Hand," she muttered. Caleb looked confused but gave her his hand. She turned it so it was palm's up as she pricked his finger, earning a wince from his lips. The Peacekeeper then pressed her bloody finger on a paper, releasing his hand. "Next."

I was next. I walked up to her and gave her my hand without her asking me to do so. She took my blood and I was on my way. I watched at Caleb walked towards the twelve year old section, mixing in the the group of boys.

Before I was even in my section, I felt a tap on my shoulder, making me turn to see one of my best friends. "Hey Cole," my friend, Elm, greeted warmly. I smiled back at him. Elm went to my school, a grade below me, he was sixteen.

"Hey Elm," I replied, still walking towards my section. Because of our ages, we were fairly close to one another. "So you excited?" I asked him in almost a taunting tone, making him snort in a fake laughter as we walked.

"Do you enjoy seeing your mother naked?" He mocked.

"Dude, too far," I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes at the thought, making him chuckle as we took our spots, looking up at the stone stage. "Good luck," I said finally before we parted ways.

"You too man," Elm told me as he went with his fellow sixteen year olds.

As the music of the capital started playing, we were forced to watch last years victor. A fourteen year old named Finnick Odair, I could practically hear girls swooning over him. He had blonde hair with crystal blue eyes, a good build and such.

It showed him killing the final man in the career pack (which he was part of) and him holding his weapon up in victory. The crowd was silent, though I think the people from the Capitol wanted us the clap for the grouse film.

Finally a woman walked on stage, a woman from the Capitol who would pick our names and be a District Representative for two unlucky teens. Her hair was a hot pink and her tight dress matched, her face painted white with hot pink lips, eyeshadow, and cheeks to match. Her high heel's looked to be about eight inches as she smiled down at us.

"Welcome! My name is Sev Renalds and welcome to the 66 Annual Hunger Games!" She shouted as she clapped, her being the only one. Clearing her throat, she forced a smile at us. "Now let's get started! Ladies first," she murmured as she walked towards the clear glass bowl that held the names of many female's, one would be picked.

Sev's fingers lingered around the bowl before she picked one up, holding the piece of paper as she slowly unfolded it. "Rose Markos!" She shouted. I froze, knowing that name. That was the girl I had a crush on all through my eight grade and up. Even though those feelings had faded, I still felt bad for her.

Rose's eyes looked fearful as she slowly made her way to the stage, her legs shaking. When she made it to the stage, Sev smiled at her. "Do we have any volunteers?" She asked, Rose making a hopeful face at the crowd, but no one stepped forward. "No? Then meet your female tribute for District 7!" Sev said into the microphone, clapping.

No one else clapped. Rose's green eye's started watering as she seemed to be fighting back tears. Rose was a small girl, very fragile and not fit, she wouldn't last in the games. I felt a ping of sympathy for her, silently wishing her the best of luck through it all.

"And now, the gentlemen!" Sev said cheerfully as she walked towards the bowl. My stomach seemed to be in a knot, but I calmed myself down. Sev picked a name and brought it up to her eyes, unfolding it. "Caleb Lone!" She shouted. My blood went cold as I froze, my eyes going wide. No.. "Do we have a Caleb Lone?" Sev asked, looking around the crowd.

Slowly, I saw my frightened brother flinch his way through the crowd. I felt my legs move as I walked towards him. "Caleb.." I whispered as I went to the edge of my section. "Caleb!" I shouted, now feeling the Peacekeepers put their hands on my shoulders to keep me back. I growled as I punched one of them in the face, shoving the other one and running towards my little brother as I saw him turn to face me, shock in his eyes.

I felt a pair of gruff hands snag me and throw me to the ground. "Get off of me!" I yelled loudly, thrashing and struggling to get them off. Five of them were pinning me, two at my legs, two at my arms, and the last one holding down my chest as he unsheathed his bat, about to hit me on the head until I heard something.

"Stop it! I think he's volunteering!" It was Rose's voice, being amplified by the microphone, her voice strong and not faltering. I took in deep breath's as the Peacekeepers looked at me, as if asking if that was true. I gave them a nod as I got to my feet.

Caleb's eyes were tearful, he was crying beyond belief. I wrapped my arms around him as I let him cry into my shoulder. "It's ok, it'll be ok," I soothed, but I felt Caleb being torn from my grasp by a Peacekeeper as he put Caleb back into his section. Feeling my own tear's coming on, I wiped my eyes.

I walked up the stage, my breaths deep as I glared at everyone, they all seemed in shock as I stood before them. "A-And there we have it! Your male and female tributes for District 7!"


	2. Chapter Two- Saying Goodbye

**Chapter Two- Saying Goodbye**

Being brought into a room, I was forced to sit down on a red chair, its texture velvet-like as I ran my hands on it. It was odd how the room brought me some sort of comfort, even though I had just volunteered to die; it was me, or Caleb.

Suddenly I heard the door open, seeing my mother, father, and little Caleb. All their eyes were red, all except my father who had a stern look on his face. My mother and Caleb ran towards me, just about tackling me in a hug. I had to put one foot behind me to balance myself out, hoping that we wouldn't tip over.

I felt her hands grip tightly on me as she cried. "My boy.." She wept, then looking up at me with her green eyes, her hand reaching up to hold one of my cheeks in comfort. "My sweet, sweet boy," she whispered, another tear sliding down her cheek. I couldn't help but let a few tears fall as well, feeling them slid down my cheek for my mother to wipe away with her thumb silently.

Caleb clung to me as he cried hard, making me frown as I knelt down to his level, him not being all that short, I only had to bend down to his height. "Don't worry," I soothed. "Remember, I'm a big boy, I can handle this," I tried to comfort, but it clearly wasn't working as he cried more and more, making me pull him into another hug, letting him cry. I knew this was tough for him, so I stayed quiet the more he cried, until, he was out of tears. Caleb was just sobbing now.

Once I felt that he had calmed down, I straightened back up as I looked at my father. He looked back at me, his jaw clenched tightly as he walked towards me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I could see his eyes were clouded in sorrow. Sure, he was harsh with me, and abusive, but I didn't speak as he hung his head, putting a hand on his eyes as he let few tears fall before he looked back up at him, taking in a shaky breath.

"Take care of them, dad," I said as I then did something I didn't think I would ever do. I hugged him. He hugged me back to my surprise, him squeezing tightly.

"I know I've been rough with you son, I'm sorry," he whispered in my ear, making sure my mother and Caleb couldn't hear him. "I was only rough because of this reason, and I now know my mistake, I hope you can forgive me," he admitted bitterly, looking at me with his blue eyes.

Nodding slowly, I mustered a smile. "Thank you dad, and I forgive you," I told him, making his face seem to crack with guilt as he then stepped away from me, allowing my mother to grasp me once more before the Peacekeepers came in, escorting my family out.

Caleb grunted as he shoved past the Peacekeeper, hugging me again. I feared that he'd get in trouble, so I gently pushed him back, a pained look on his face told me that he didn't like that action. "Promise me," Caleb said in a shaky voice that seemed on edge to crack and him to break down again. "Promise me you'll come home."

I stayed silent. There was no way for me to keep such a promise, I knew I should've just said yes to make him feel better, but it would've been a lie, a promise I couldn't keep. Caleb's face twisted in fear and sorrow. "Say it, say you'll promise," he murmured, now allowing a Peacekeeper grab him by his arm and slowly drag him out of the room. "Cole! Promise me!" I shook my head and looked away from my little brother, hearing the doors close.

It then hit me that that was the last time I would ever see them. I had to sit back down in the velvet red chair as I put my head in my hands.

The sound of the door opening again caught my attention as I looked up, sighing as I saw Elm at the doorway. My only friend in the whole District, it was nice to see him before anything would happen. Elm walked towards me as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Cole, listen.." Elm couldn't seem to find the right words. "Cole I'm sorry," he finally uttered as he looked down at me, seeing me in my state. "This shouldn't of happened, not to you," he growled, a now sense of anger washing over my friend. I got to my feet as I walked towards him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Elm, it's ok, really it is. I'll be fine, I've accepted it," I told him. I thought he'd nod or something of the sort, but a look of dismay was written on his face like a book as he shrugged my hand off his shoulder in disgust.

"I can't believe you, this isn't the Cole I know," he growled, making me take a step back. "The Cole I know wouldn't give up so easily, you could win this, not just for you, nor me, not our District, but for your family," Elm tried to comfort, but it really wasn't working.

A Peacekeeper came in and grabbed Elm by his arm, guiding him out of the room as the door closed.

As I sat there, my mind went blank. I was staring at the wooden doors, wondering what was going to happen next. Apparently the Peacekeepers did. They came into the room, making me get to my feet as I was taken outside and onto a bus.

In the bus was four people. One was Rose, who looked frightening beyond belief. The other Sev, who was smiling brightly at me as if I just won the biggest prize ever. And the last two were our last victor's in the past years. A man named Cyrus Cestral, he was our victor of the 63 Annual Hunger Games, and Ember Quinn, our victor of the 61 Annual Hunger Games.

Cyrus was a tall man with large arms and a stern face. He had a buzzcut with brown hair and hazel eyes, a sharp chin and jawline as well. He had won the games at age seventeen (my age), him now being twenty.

Then there was Ember Quinn, a small woman with faded red hair with black streaks, her hair into a tight pony tail, along with her crystal blue eyes. It was no wonder why she was one of the Capital's favorites. She didn't seem all intimidating, but I had seen how she won her Hunger Games, and it was deadly and gruesome. She had won the games at twelve, now only being eighteen.

When I walked in, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do. I felt a bit awkward as they stared at me, no one saying a single word; that was until-

"Welcome to hell."

The voice belonged to Ember, who now had her arms crossed over her chest as she was smirking. I could tell that she wasn't such a sweetheart up close and personal. She was actually known to be the first tribute in District 7 to ever be in the pack of career's. Ember had wooed her way into the group, making the male from District 1 go head over heel's for her, that was until she cut his head clean off of his body.

Cyrus chuckled as he looked down at her. It was no secret that the two were crushing over each other, thought they were both too childish to admit it.

Rose looked up at them, being a small height of 5'0, all of us towered over her, especially Cyrus and I. "How can you laugh at this?" She asked bitterly, her tone taking me by surprise. "We're being sent into a death arena and you have the courage to laugh?" Rose asked our mentors, who were staring at her, their eyes narrowed.

"We get it, but we have the right to laugh," Cyrus told her coldly. "We did our part, being sent in there; and guess what? We lived, so I don't know why you're bellyaching over such-" before he could finish his sentence, Rose reached up and smacked him across the face.

There were gasps from Sev and Ember as they saw what Rose had done. The slap of course had no effect on Cyrus as he looked at her, glaring as if he was going to attack her.

Without saying another word, Rose turned and left, the doors opening as she approached them as she walked towards her room.

"Charmer," Cyrus muttered as he rubbed his cheek, now looking at me. He was surprisingly eye level with me, us being about the same height of 6'1. He then smiled at me, putting his hand back to his side as he leaned a bit towards Ember. "Ya know he reminds me of myself," he told her, making Ember nod a little as she looked at me up and down, silently agreeing with him.

I knew that I shouldn't be rude to my mentors, but I wanted to go and talk with Rose. "I'll be right back," I told them in a soft tone as I headed towards her room, seeing that it was right next to mine.

Opening the door, I poked my head in, seeing Rose on her bed, her legs tucked around her arms as she was crying. I felt a knot in my stomach as I knocked on the side of the door frame, instantly getting her attention as she wiped her eyes with her wrist. "W-What?" She asked me, the rude tone still hinting in her voice, though another tone could be heard as well; fear.

Not knowing what to say, I walked towards her, sitting down at the foot of her bed as I looked at her. Rose looked so broken, so fragile, as if I'd touch her she'd break. "I-I'm not scared o-of you," she told me, even though I knew that wasn't true. It was known in the games that teens from their own District would sometimes kill each other, I wasn't surprised that she was scared of me.

"I know," I told her in a soft tone, trying to comfort her as I looked into her green eyes. Rose seemed taken back at my words as she looked at me, though her gaze drifted back to her lap as I saw a tear slide down her cheek.

"Cole, right?"

"I'm sorry what-"

"Your name is Cole, right?" Rose asked me, looking up finally. Her cheeks were red and were a bit wet from the tears that were streaking down. I nodded silently at her. She wiped her eyes as she let out a sniffle. "I don't want to die Cole," she whispered.

That stuck in my mind, those six words. Rose's eyes began to water again, causing her to sniffle as she looked away from my green eyes. Without another word, I moved towards her, now sitting next to her as I put my hand under her chin, making her look up at me.

Reaching up, Rose grabbed something that was around her neck. It was a golden locket, little diamonds outlining the shape of the heart-shaped locket. Rose gripped it softly, not breaking eye contact with me, seeming as if the locket gave her some hope or courage for herself.

"You're not going to die Rose," I told her, making her eyes widen as she let her grip loosen on her necklace.

Shaking her head, Rose moved a little ways from me, her back now touching the bed frame, signaling that she couldn't back up anymore. "You don't know that," she whispered. "I have a family Cole, my mother is pregnant, I don't want to die before I hold my baby brother," Rose sniffled, wiping her eyes again.

Flashbacks of me holding Caleb when he was small flushed back, remembering how little he was, the way his whole hand only wrapped around my thumb. It was the feeling of innocents, a feeling of happiness and pure bliss, one that Rose shouldn't miss out on.

"I have an older sister, she's too old for the games now," Rose started explaining. "She's the one who gave me this," she murmured, pressing her fingertips on the locket. "She told me it brought good luck," Rose told me, a small smile now showing on her lips. "What's your district token?" she asked me, catching me a bit off guard.

Scratching the back of my head, I reached into my pocket and felt a ring. I took it out and looked at it, smiling once I saw it was my golden ring that I had always carried. 'I guess this could be my token,' I thought as I then handed it to Rose, letting her inspect it carefully.

Taking it, Rose began to look at it with a smile. "It's beautiful," she said as she began looking at the carvings on it. I loved carving and whittling, it was a hobby from chopping down so many tree's, you'd sometimes have a little wood left over to whittle something, maybe a spear, some doodles, animals, or even patterns if the knife wasn't dull.

The ring itself was made of my favorite wood (red wood) and had patterns on it that I had carved myself. The patterns were exquisite, my father letting me use his best knife for the ring. "Thank you," I said as I then gently took the ring from her, slipping it back into my pocket. "I made it myself."

Rose raised her eyebrows as if questioning if that was true or not, regardless she gave a shrug, looking out the window. Slowly the sun was setting, making it dim in the room. Rose reached up and put her brown hair into a pony tail, letting out a yawn. "Thank you for talking with me Cole, but I'm really tired. If you can, do you think you could tell Cyrus and Ember I'm sorry for snapping at them?" She asked me hopefully.

I nodded to her as I got to my feet. "Thank you, goodnight, Cole," she murmured as she laid down, resting her head on her pillow.

"No problem Rose. Goodnight," I said as I walked out of her room, the door closing behind me as I made my way towards the dinning area, trying to see if Cyrus and Ember were still there. To my disappointment, they weren't.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I then strode into my room, looking around. It was surprisingly a tad larger than Rose's, the bed being a king size and the room wide, being almost bigger than my home back in District 7.

Laying down on my bed, I felt the softness and comfort it brought, but an unsettling feeling still lingered with me, knowing this was only temporary and that soon enough the Hunger Games would start.

Closing my eyes to try and get those thoughts out of my mind, I turned my head on the cool side of the pillow, my breath calming and soon enough, I was asleep.


	3. Chapter Three- Dreams

**Chapter Three- Dreams**

 _I awoke to the sound of screaming, forcing me to sit up and rip the covers off of myself as I got to my feet, looking around. Before my mind could process what was happening, the scenery changed, my feet now against a cool surface as I looked down, seeing that I was on cement._

 _Looking up, I saw the reaping stage, the large stage had the two bowls on where Sev picked names. Rose was smiling down at me from the stage as she reached out and gave me her hand. As soon as I reached out and my fingertips grazed hers, she disappeared. The stage bursted into a cloud of musky smoke, making me back up._

 _My back hit something. Turning around, I saw Caleb in front of me, a cheesy smile on his face as he hugged me around my waist. "I missed you," he told me as he looked up at me with his blue eyes. I felt my arms tighten around him as I hugged him tightly._

 _"I missed you too," I whispered, holding him close to me and closing my eyes to try and savor the moment of my brother being with me. Opening my eyes, I saw that he wasn't there. I put my hands back to my sides as I looked around to see what else was happening, but nothing showed, I was surrounded by a thick smog. Alone._

I awoke with a start, sitting up and gasping for air as I put my hand on my forehead. It was just a dream... I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to clear my head.

Hearing my door open, I looked up to see Rose standing in my doorway. Her cheeks were a light rosy color and her eyes were bloodshot. "Can't sleep?" She asked me. I shook my head, now turning my gaze away from her. The dream was so realistic it was scary.

Rose stepped towards me, sitting down next to me as she leaned against the bedpost. "I can't either," she told me softly, though not meeting my gaze. I could tell Rose had a nightmare was well, she seemed to be shaking and looked uneasy. "It's 5 am, I woke up at 3 and couldn't go back to sleep," Rose admitted, turning her head to look at my state.

Her eyebrows knelt as she reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. "Hey, are you ok?" She asked me in a warm and welcoming tone, almost how my mother spoke. Not wanting to lie to her, I started to shake my head. Rose pressed her lips together tightly as if scrambling to find the right words to comfort me with, such as I did to her when she was having a rough time falling asleep. Instead of talking, she scooted closer to me, looking up at me. "Cole, I know you're scared, so am I trust me, but I think we'll be alright, as long as we stick together," Rose spoke. Was she asking to be my ally?

Still not speaking, I closed my eyes to try and calm myself. "I'm not scared," I told her, catching her attention. "I won't let these games scare me," I muttered bitterly. I readjusted my pillow to make it more comfortable to sit up as I looked down at her, Rose being a smaller height than myself. "It was just a bad dream," I stated, not wanting to show weakness, even though she was my ally now.

"What was it about?" Rose asked me boldly.

"My brother," I said honestly, not scared to show a little emotion to her. "I just miss him," I grumbled, making Rose sigh as she rested her head against the bedpost, taking her hand off my shoulder.

As the night went on, we talked together, sharing stories and joking around until the sun came up. Rose had fallen asleep on me by accident, her head resting on my shoulder. I looked down at her with a small smile, happy that she was here. If I was still thirteen, I would be drooling over her when I had a crush on her, though now I was just happy we were friends. Rose had a lot more to her then I had thought, she was funny and kind, telling me stories of her family and how she worked with mother and her sister around the house.

Slowly, I positioned her against a pillow as I slipped out of the room, wrapping a robe around myself to keep warm as I made my way to the dinning area.

Ember and Cyrus were there, chatting and munching on little biscuits and toast; Sev off to the side with an annoyed look on her face and she sipped her tea silently. Cyrus looked up and smiled when he saw me. "Good morning sleeping beauty," he joked. I rolled my eyes as I sat down, looking at the table, my eyes wide.

The table was littered with food, drinks, and so much more. Oh how my family would've loved this if they were here. I reached over and grabbed an odd looking toasted bread and some jelly, grabbing a knife and started spreading it on the toasted bread. "So, let's talk," Ember said, breaking the silence. "What do you want to know about?"

I tapped my chin in thought before something came to mind. "How about how to get sponsors," I started off, wanting to know this skill, knowing it would help me in the long run.

Ember laughed as she took a drink of her coffee. "Well, you get people to like you, be funny, charming, kind, sweet, you know, basically a suck up," she said with a shrug. Cyrus nodded at that, leaning back in his chair. "If you didn't notice, Cyrus messed that part up for himself-"

"Only because I didn't want to kiss their toes!" He interrupted, making Ember roll her eyes. Cyrus then pointed at me with his butter knife that was in his hand from when he was slabbing jelly on his bread. "If you really want people to like you, you gotta do things," he told me, now a grin on his lips. "Maybe you gotta show some skin, maybe you gotta wink a few times, maybe you gotta strip-"

"You do not do that!" Ember snapped, making Cyrus chuckle. I rubbed my temples as I slowly looked towards Sev, as if pleading for help. She then smirked as she waved her hand, shushing Ember and Cyrus as she looked at me.

It was distracting to keep eye contact with her, her eyelashes had an odd glimmer on them, no doubt some sort of Capitol fashion. Sev smiled warmly at me as she leaned forward. "Like Ember said, you get people to like you," she said simply. "Ember is a perfect example, being a Capitol favorite by far," Sev said with a small giggle as well, getting a nod of gratitude from Ember. "Ember here took it upon herself to join in with the careers, only being twelve helped," Sev admitted, "but of course there is still a possibility for you to join, it'd keep you alive for a portion of the games," she told me as she then sipped her tea, raising her pinky.

Cyrus snorted in laughter as he leaned back. "Oh please, if he joined the career's they'd kill him almost instantly," he muttered, looking at me up and down. "Then again, you'd be one of the first they'd pick off," Cyrus sighed.

Feeling a confused emotion, I looked at Ember. She rolled her eyes, being clearly annoyed with me. "It's because of your build," she explained. "You worked with your father right? With lumber?" Ember asked me, making me nod at her and she grunted. "You have muscle, and that's a threat for the career's if you're strong and they're not," she told me.

I felt a chill go down my spine. "The only reason they let me in was because I played little ms. innocent," Ember growled, twirling a knife in between her fingers. "As soon as it was down to the three of us," without another word, she slammed the knife down onto the table, making Sev jump at the sudden act. Ember looked up at me with a grin, yanking the knife out of the table as she leaned back in her chair. "There you have it, the victor of the 61st Annual Hunger Games," she said with a bitter laugh.

"What do you do if you don't want to kill anyone?" Said a soft voice, making me turn in my chair to see Rose walking towards us, taking a seat next to me as she looked at our mentors who seemed to be holding back laughter.

"Not killing in the games? That's highly impossible," Cyrus told her. Rose glared at Cyrus, making me tense up as I cleared my throat, trying to make her snap out of it, luckily it worked as she looked at the food, beginning to pile up her plate.

There was an uncomfortable tension in the air as we ate silently. Suddenly Rose let out a sigh, seeming to get Cyrus's attention. He muttered something inaudible as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "I'm sorry," Cyrus grumbled. "You can try not killing, but it won't get you very far, that's the cold truth," he told Rose in more of a warmer tone.

Rose bit her lip. "I know, well at least I know now," she whispered.

The room suddenly went dark, lights flashing every now and then signaling that we were in some sort of tunnel. "We're almost there," Ember spoke, making Rose and I stand up and walk towards the windows.

As soon as we were out of the tunnel, a bright light lit the room back up, that was when cheer's and hoots could be heard as I looked out the window. Capitol people were screaming and cheering with pure bliss and joy as our train passed them. My jaw clenched tightly, not knowing how to react to this. _'Cyrus said get people to like me,'_ I told myself in my head, guessing this was a good start.

Rose backed away from the window as I smiled at the Capitol people, sometimes waving and making them cheer louder as our train reached the station, signaling we were getting off.

I took in a much needed deep breath as Sev lead Cyrus, Ember, Rose, and myself off of the train. Capitol citizens swarmed, calling our names and smiling brightly. Each one looked so differently odd it was a bit unpleasing. Neon hair, tight clothing, weird make-up, it was so alien to me.

Being lead into a large building, I noticed other tributes there as well. A girl looked at me up and down, a glint in her eye. I didn't know if she was being friendly or not, that was definitely up for debate.

The girl had light blonde hair and was wearing a worn rugged black tank top and some shorts with it, golden studded earrings as well, my guess was that it was her District token, though yet again that was up for debate.

"Come come, since you are from District 7, you get the seventh floor, one of my favorites," Sev told us as she ushered us into an elevator. Ember and Cyrus didn't join us, they said that they wanted to catch up with the other mentors and talk; Rose and I didn't argue.

Before the elevator door's closed, three people slipped in, the girl who had looked at me before being among them. Sev glared at a man that was in the elevator, and he glared right back. The man had neon blue hair and was wearing a sparkly blue tux as well, no doubt a District Representative.

"Scott," Sev grumbled a greeting, making a sly smile appear on the blue haired man's lips.

"Sev," he replied, hitting a button with the elevator that was marked with the number four on it; Sev hitting our floor button as well.

There was an odd feeling in the air before the elevator made a 'ding' sound, signaling that we were at floor four. Scott and the other two guided out of the elevator, him winking at Sev before the door's closed again.

I saw Sev's fists clench as she let out a huff. "Those are tributes from District 4," she explained. "I think their names were Silver and Thorn, the man with the blue hair is named Scott, their District Representative," Sev mumbled. "An arrogant piece of work he is," she added, making me cast an amused glance at Rose. It was funny to watch Sev get angry, it never seemed to happen often so whenever it did, I took a note not to miss it.

When we reached our floor, we stepped out of the elevator. Sev smiled brightly as she walked in front of us, giving us a tour of where we were staying until the games begun. "This is your room," she told me when we reached it.

My room here wasn't far off from the one I had when I was on the train. It had light grey walls with a large king sized bed, posters of the Capitol's logo and the Hunger Game's logo were scattered everywhere, some pictures of memorable victor's from our District were on the wall as well, Ember being one of them. As I turned my head, I saw a large window that looked over the Capitol, seeing landmarks and such from when I watched tv at home.

Home. How I missed it.

Not wanting to get upset, I followed Sev for the rest of the tour of our little hotel room (I guess you could call it.) When the tour was over, I went back to my room, deciding to get some more rest, or at least try to.

Laying down, I rested my head against the fluffy pillow, not being used to this type of comfort that came from the Capitol. Closing my eyes, I started remembering good things that happened in my life, trying to at least bring myself something that reminded me of home. Before I knew it, those memories became dreams as I fell asleep.


End file.
